A Little Different
by The Lady Mage
Summary: It was almost sunrise, and the two were searching for a place to rest. One wrong turn leads them to find an abandoned child. What will become of her, and what is it that makes her so strange? - WIP. R
1. Chapter One

Greetings from The Lady Mage.   
  
This is a story idea that has been playing around in my head for the past month or so, but I've only recently typed anything at it. I'm not sure if it will be good or be bad- I'm hoping good. But, if this story prologue seems intriguing, PLEASE review and tell me. Otherwise, this will be taken off instead of continued. Thankyou to any and all who read this!  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: I, The Lady Mage, do not own Underworld or any of its numerous wonderful characters. I merely borrow them now and then when I need a bit of entertainment.

* * *

It was cold and growing colder. Winters were always bitting in Germany. At least, that is what he had heard. Now he knew it was true. But, despite the cold . . and the fact that his feet felt ready to break off, the two continued on through the snow covered alleyways, searching for a safe place to spend the daylight hours.  
  
Selene had been leading him along as usual, pausing here and there to examine a door or building. The farther from the center of town, the better suited the buildings became. While they hadn't come across a completely abandoned structure yet, they had found a few that were very rarely used.  
  
"The sun will be up soon." Michael murmered, glancing up at the dissappearing stars.  
  
"I know that." Selene mumbled back, turning down a new alleyway- one that hadn't been touched since the snow began to fall two nights ago. She set her jaw when she saw it was a dead end. "The only place I saw that would be remotely useful for us was two blocks back. Come on, let's-" Selene began to turn to walk away, but Michael reached out and grabbed her arm.  
  
"Wait." he said softly, staring into the blackness of the alley.  
  
Selene watched him, a slight scowl on her face, as he sniffed the air, then trained one ear to listen closely. "What is it?" she asked after a few seconds ticked by.  
  
"Not sure." he answered, letting her go and walking down the unused street. He sniffed the air again, walking up to the single dumpster against the far wall. "Don't you hear that?"  
  
The dark-haired vampiress crossed her arms, stepping into the darkness behind him. She turned her head to the side a little, focusing on the dumpster.  
  
Something was mewling softly.  
  
Selene scowled again. "So it's a damned cat! The sun will be up in a half hour, Michael! We don't have time for this!"  
  
He shook his head. "It isn't a cat." Ignoring Selene- to her great displeasure- he moved the dumpster, grabbing hold of it and pulling it out from the wall. He looked down behind it, then turned to Selene with wide eyes.  
  
Her scowl deepened as she approached him, then completely dropped when she looked down at what Michael had seen.  
  
At their feet lay a tiny child- a little girl with bobbed raven hair and deathly white skin. She was half frozen, and her face red with fever as she lay, unconscious, on the wet ground. The mewling sound they had heard was the child's attempt to keep breathing.  
  
"My God . . . " Michael whispered, kneeling down. He felt the girl's forehead, quickly pulling his hand away when her skin burned his palm. "She's burning up."  
  
"How did she get here?" Selene murmered, watching him check the child's pulse.  
  
"I don't know." Michael answered, standing back up. "She'll die out here." he said, his voice quiet as he looked back down at the sick child. "The sun will be up soon. What do we do?"  
  
Selene was silent for a few seconds, looking first at the little girl, then up at the sky. She barely glanced at Michael before she bent down and pulled the little girl up into her arms. Without a word, she turned and began to walk back towards the building she'd mentioned before, hurrying to avoid the sun.

* * *

The building didn't have a full basement, only a tiny room full of old boxes and spiders, but it would do for now. There was no bathroom, but in the corner was an old sink. When Michael tried the knobs, a trickle of water poured forth, dirty and undrinkable, but clean enough to wet a scrap of cloth to try to cool the girl's fever.  
  
"Put this on her forehead." Michael ordered Selene gently, holding out a piece of his now-wet shirttail. He watched Selene take it and settle it on the child's head. "Hold onto her. I'll go see if there is anything upstairs . . . clean water, blankets, or something. I'll be right back."   
  
Selene only nodded, watching him walk back to the rickety staircase. She cradled the tiny child in her arms, sitting on a large box. The girl's breathing had steadied the moment they had entered the basement- her breathing no longer pitiful gasps for air.   
  
Michael returned a few minutes later with a few old quilts. They were dirty and faded with time, but clean, when he settled next to her. "Found these in an old closet. I think this place may have been a boarding house or something- there are old bedframes everywhere." He unfolded one of the blankets, then helped Selene to wrap the girl in it. The other was placed in the only empty corner for the three to sleep on.  
  
The vampiress settled down on the quilt, leaning against the wall. Michael sat beside her, close enough to share bodyheat.  
  
"Do you think she'll survive the day?" Selene asked quietly, situating the child in her arms, laying the girl's head up on her shoulder.   
  
"I don't know." Michael murmered. "We'll see I guess. She's better off here than she would be out behind that dumpster."   
  
Selene nodded.

* * *

Well? What did you think? Tell me in a review!!   
  
The Lady Mage


	2. Chapter Two

AUTHOR NOTES: Hello, and Welcome to chapter 2. I got really good feedback on this. I'm very pleased that you are pleased! Well, if you want it, who am I to keep it from you? But, you will have to bare with me for a little bit. This story will have sort of a slow beginning, but once it picks up, it's gunna be really good! Promise! Vampiric Mage Scout's Honor!!  
  
Read, enjoy, review!  
  
DISCLAIMER: . . . check chapter 1.  
  
RATING: PG-13  
  


* * *

"Selene? . . Selene, wake up."  
  
The dark-haired vampiress opened her eyes. Michael was crouched over her, his eyes worried as he watched her. She held back a yawn, and glanced down at the still-sleeping child in her arms. "What? What is wrong?"  
  
Michael gestured to the child in her arms. "Her fever."   
  
Selene laid her palm over the girl's forehead. "It isn't any better."  
  
"It feels worse." Michael said, taking the little girl and laying her out on the pallet. "She's dangerously hot. If her fever gets much higher, it will kill her. She's probably already brain-damaged."  
  
The vampiress almost pouted, but scowled instead. "What do we do?"  
  
"She needs antibiotics." answered the hybrid.  
  
"We need to find a better place to stay." Selene cracked her knuckles, then reached down to check on the gun still strapped to her hip. "We can't stay in this filthy basement. We should move on."  
  
"What about the girl?" Michael asked, watching the little girl breathe.   
  
"We'll leave her at the hospital." Selene said matter-of-factly.  
  
Michael snorted. "What hospital?! This is a piss-poor town! There is no proper hospital!"   
  
"Well, what do you want me to do? I'm not the doctor!"   
  
He became quiet again. "We need a place with a bathtub- or a tub big enough to put water in. Maybe if we put her in some luke-warm water, it will bring her fever down." he answered.  
  
"We should move to the next town." Selene said with a sigh. "We can steal a car and drive the 30 miles. We'd be there in a half an hour- plenty of time to find a place to stay."  
  
"Can we make a pitstop?" asked Michael. "The hospital might have some antibiotics. Anything would help."  
  
Selene scowled again, putting her gun back in its holster. " . . . fine."  
  
Michael smiled, lifting the little girl up. He reached down to help Selene up, but she ignored his hand to stand on her own. While Michael carried the little girl, Selene lead the way outside. Better to go now while the night was still young.  
  


* * *

"This will do." Selene said, stopping the stolen van outside an old warehouse. The ceiling looked ready to crumble, and the windows were only half intact, but it would perhaps keep them safe for the day.  
  
"Here, take her." Michael said, settling the little girl down into Selene's arms before he stepped out of the van. Selene stepped out behind him, following him up to the door. At the door, he stopped. "How do you think this will protect you?" he asked, looking up at the building. "Barely a roof and no windows. The sun will come through."  
  
Selene sighed, rolling her eyes before gesturing to a set of storm doors off to the side of the structure. "Basement." she answered, walking to them and waiting for Michael to open them for her.  
  
Michael gave her a sheepish expression before he pulled the lock off the doors, then swung them open. He stepped in before she did, walking down the metal stairs and into the darkness below. The vampiress followed, watching him try the lightswitch.   
  
The power was out.  
  
"No big surprise there." muttered the hybrid, scanning the room with eyes that seemed to glow. "At least there are no windows."  
  
The room they stood in was at least twenty-five feet deep and twenty feet wide, piled high around the edges with old barrels, boxes and crates. The floor was cement, and sloped down to a little drain in the center of the room, and the ceiling was old, sagging cardboard panneling. It looked as though no one had been in the basement of this building for years- certainly not for upkeep.  
  
"What luck we have." Selene murmered. Michael turned to her just as she lightly kicked an old metal washtub. Ignoring the ache in his temples that the noise made, the hyrbid leaned down to inspect the metal tub.   
  
"Now we need a way to get warm water."  
  
Selene moved to take a seat on the stair, laying the todler across her lap to rest her arms. "We need a gas heater. A lamp would be nice, too."  
  
"Well, none of the shops will be open until morning." Michael returned.  
  
The vampiress gave him a 'you're-an-idiot' look. "Then break in and take one. Put your hoodie up."   
  
"Steal one?"  
  
Selene nodded casually. "Look at it this way: if you don't, she dies."  
  
The calmness of her voice irked him, but he chose to ignore it. If was was a life or death situation- and it was- he felt he was justified. "You stay here with her. I'll be back soon."  
  
The vampiress nodded, watching him go.  
  


* * *

Michael really hoped that the family who owned the little shop on the corner of Hoffnung and Plato weren't so poor that they couldn't replace the window he had broken to get in. He also hoped that no one else robbed the store in his wake. It was such a humble shop, most of the goods home-made.  
  
He paused near a dumpster, and set the two boxes- one a small gas camping stove, the other a kerosene lantern- and the jug of kerosene in his arms down onto the snowy road. "Sorry, people." he murmered softly, pulling a video tape from his jacket. He'd found a very low-tech video surveilance system behind the counter- quite by accident- and this was the tape with him on it. He snapped the tape in two as easily as he could have broken a twig, and tossed it- ruined- into the dumpster.  
  
Glancing at the sun, the hybrid could see it was almost 3:00 in the morning. Selene would need him back soon so that either he or she could hunt down something for her to drink. They'd run out of bagged blood a few days ago, and Michael knew he couldn't supply her with enough blood from himself to sustain her much longer- not without dying in the process.  
  
The two boxes were relifted, dusted of snow, and the hybrid trekked on.  
  


* * *

The first thing that Michael heard upon his return to the warehouse, was the sound of someone humming. He paused at the doors, setting his boxes down. With a curious look, he settled down on his knees in front of the storm doors, peaking in through a knothole, making a mental note to patch it before dawn.   
  
At fist, he couldn't see a thing, but soon, his eyes adjusted to see the basic outlines in the room. Right where he'd left her, Selene sat, rocking the little girl in her arms, and humming some soft, old lullaby to her. Michael couldn't resist a big grin.  
  
He watched for a few seconds more, imprinting the lullaby to memory- who knows if he'd ever hear it again from her lips? Finally, Michael stood up. He made enough noise around the entrance to cover the sound of her humming, giving her the chance to put on her 'I don't care' face again. If he walked on her doing something so loving, she'd be angry no doubt.   
  
When he brought the boxes down in the basement, she had moved to another spot, the girl resting against her shoulder, an old book in her hands as she feined reading. She barely glanced up at him when he came down. "What took you so long?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Had to find a store that actually had what we needed." he answered casually, setting the boxes on the bottom step before tearing into one. He pulled out the lantern first. Light was priority now.   
  
"Did you bring matches?" Selene asked, watching him.   
  
"Yeah." Michael answered, pulling the book of matches out of his pocket along with the little bottle of ibuprofen and the bottle of drinking water that he had swiped from the store. He set down the medicine and took of the jug of kerosene. A few moments later, he had the lantern lit, illuminating the room.  
  
"Hang it on that hook."  
  
Michael turned to see Selene. She gestured up to a piece of wire hanging from a beam in the ceiling. With a nod, he stood up and attatched the lantern to the wire. "That's that." He moved back to the stairs, lifting the ibuprofen and water. "This will help bring her fever down." he said, approaching the vampiress and toddler.   
  
"And how are you going to get a sleeping child to swallow a pill?" Selene asked, laying the child back in her arms.  
  
"I'm going to shove it down her little throat." Michael murmered sarcastically, pulling a pill from the bottle and breaking it in half. Turning serious, he crushed the half pill in his fingers. "Can you hold her mouth open?"  
  
Selene pried the child's jaw open, watching Michael sprinkle the powder on the girl's tongue, then pour a teaspoon of water in after it. Instinctivly, the girl swallowed- medicine and all.  
  
"See? Not so hard." Michael said, putting the other half of the pill back in the bottle and screwing shut the lid. He moved back to the stair and the gas stove still in its box. "We're going to have to melt snow for warm water." he said casually. "So, either you can stay here with her and melt snow while I go hunting for blood, or you can stay here with her and melt snow while I go hunting for blood. Your pick."   
  
"Nice choices." Selene rolled her eyes, shifting the little girl back onto her shoulder. "No more cat blood."  
  
"Okay." Michael said. "There's a pot in the van. I saw it when I tossed our bag in- which I will retrieve before I go hunt. You can use the pot to-"  
  
"I'm quite familiar with boiling water, thankyou." Selene hissed, cutting him off. "Just go on!"   
  
"Be right back."  
  


* * *

Well, what did you think? Good? Bad? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Tell me in a review!  
  
The Lady Mage 


	3. Chapter Three

Greetings from The Lady Mage.  
  
Hello, and welcome to chapter three of 'A Little Different'. Thankyou so much for the lovely reviews! I'm glad this is interesting to you! And for those anxiously awaiting the next chap of Second Chances, I'll have it up in just a few days- it just needs a little tweaking! For those who haven't read Second Chances, **READ IT**!  
  
Read, Enjoy, Review!  
  


* * *

Michael laid his hand over the little girl's forehead. At 3:00PM, her fever was finally going down. Though she had yet to wake up, he was hopeful for her. She had moved in her sleep, which was a good sign. Perhaps she would recover. Selene was still asleep, her arms loosely wrapped around the blankets holding the child. She'd fallen asleep near the stove/heater, curled up on Michael's coat on the floor. Together, the two looked rather peaceful.   
  
He'd been sitting awake since noon. The sounds of trucks driving in the distance had put him on edge, and he feared discovery even though he could tell this warehouse was long forgotten amongst the mortals working above ground. What would he do if someone found them? If they opened the door . . God, the light would land right on Selene!  
  
Michael hopped up from his perch on the crate, hurrying to the door. There was no one near, but he'd rather not chance anything. He began to pile crates up in front of the stairs, blocking out the door and any sunlight that its opening would allow in. When he finished moving the crates, he turned around to sit back by the heater.  
  
"What are you doing?" Selene asked quietly, scaring the hell out of Michael. She smirked when he jumped back from her like she was about to strike. "Michael?"  
  
"Jesus, Selene." he grumbled, coming and sitting down behind her. "You scared the shit outta me."  
  
"What were you doing? Why did you move all the boxes?"  
  
"In case someone should happen by- if they opened the doors, the sun would shine in. It's 3:00- the sun is on this side of the building." he explained quietly, laying down behind her. He laid his arm over her side, his hand resting on the bundle of blankets in her arms.   
  
Selene scowled, but didn't move his arm from her side. "No one has been back here in a long time." she stated. "No one will come. There was no need to move all the crates."  
  
"Well, it makes me feel better." he returned. "So get over it."  
  
"Paranoid."  
  
"Better safe than sorry."  
  
"You're still paranoid."  
  
"Get over that too, then."   
  


* * *

That evening, Selene awoke to keep watch so Michael could get some sleep. While her hybrid slumbered near the heater, she sat across from him, the toddler laid out in front of her. She held a book in her hands that she honestly was trying to read, but she just couldn't find the basics of proper potato farming too terribly interesting.  
  
After a good half hour of reading the same sentence over and over, the vampiress finally shut the book with a soft, bored sigh. Nothing to do, nothing to think about. Well, take that back. There was plenty to think about, but she didn't want to put any more thought into Viktor or Marcus or the covens.   
  
Ready to resign to a fate of at least two more hours of complete boredom, she began to turn to lay back down, but a tiny noise from the little girl in front of her halted her descent. The toddler wiggled in her blankets, a deep frown etched into her tiny features. Her lips pulled back into a little snarl as a soft moan passed through.  
  
"Michael."  
  
The hyrbid's eyes popped open, his head turning to see Selene as she pulled the little girl back up into her arms. He sat up, watching the little girl writhe against Selene's chest. "What happened?"  
  
"She just started moving. Probably just a nightmare." Selene answered, pulling the blankets away, freeing the little girl's arms. Her hands immediatly went to cup her temples as she grimaced in pain, whimpering as she tried to bring herself even closer to Selene.   
  
Michael came around the heater, gently pulling the little girl's hands away from her little head before she could pull her hair out. Holding her hands in one of his, he laid his other on her forehead. "Her fever is almost normal."  
  
Selene reached up and smoothed the girl's hair back. She still clung to her sleep, struggling against Michael's hand, her feet kicking under the blankets. Michael released her hands, and they went back to the girl's temples. She continued to fight, her legs kicking out as she cupped her little head.   
  
"Here." Michael pulled the child into his lap, pulling her from her blanket. He gently held her legs down, trying to rock her. Once she was pinned into stillness, the grimace on her face deepened.  
  
On the floor, the heater began to quiver.   
  
The child whimpered again, trying to bring her hands back to her head. Finally, she grunted, then fell limp.  
  
"One hell of a nightmare." Michael murmered, helping Selene to rewrap the toddler. Once she was settled back with Selene, he retrieved the bottle of water and the pills. Another dose of medicine should bring her fever the rest of the way down.  
  


* * *

That night, they moved again, taking the same stolen van and moving another town over. The little girl lay silent in the back seat, still unconscious, situated between a roll of blankets and their single duffle and sleepingbag since there were no seatbelts to secure her.   
  
There next hole was an abandoned house- ready to fall in. There was no basement, but Michael managed to secure blankets over the windows of the room they were going to stay in. It was a little farm house- two story- that had to have been abandoned at least twenty years ago. They were occupying the master bedroom upstairs.  
  
"It's getting early." Michael said, turning on the heater. He'd placed it on a pair of boards from downstairs to keep from catching fire to anything. The lantern was hanging from the chandeleir above. Michael turned to Selene.  
  
"Are you going to keep watch first?" she asked, laying the toddler out on the sleeping bag on the old bed.   
  
Michael nodded. "Yeah. I'll watch first. Have a good sleep."  
  
The vampiress laid down behind the little girl, pulling her up close to try to share what little bodyheat she could, and closed her eyes.   
  
While Selene and the child slept, Michael sat against the back of the door. There wasn't anything to do- nothing to read, nothing to tinker with, nothing to look at . . . besides Selene, but her face was hidden behind the little girl's blankets.  
  
"We need to ransack a library or something." he murmered to himself, leaning his hand back against the door. "Or hide out in a movie theatre or something . . . "  
  
A little moan and yawn caught his attention. He turned to see the bed next to him, and nearly jumped when his eyes met a tiny pair of mismatched ones. The little girl was awake!  
  
"Hello." he said in a soft whisper. The little girl blinked at him with her mismatched eyes- one being deep blue, almost violet, and the other being a pretty grass green. She pulled on little hand up out of the blanket and scrunched her fingers at him- a shy hello. Behind her, Selene stirred, pulling the child protectively closer to her. "Does your head hurt anymore?" he asked her quietly.  
  
The little girl just watched him, not making a move, not making a sound. He crawled a little closer, carefully putting his hand on the girl's forehead. Her fever was gone for now.  
  
"Can you talk?" he asked.   
  
No answer.  
  
"Can you understand what I am saying?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"_Konnen Sie mich verstehen_? (Can you understand me?)"  
  
Still no answer. Either the girl was deaf, mute, or just dumb. Perhaps her fever had gotten too high. Was this brain damage? He scowled lightly, trying to remember what he'd been taught in college about brain damage. He'd been an intern for two years, but had never come across it in his intership.   
  
A tiny hand on his forhead startled him out of his thoughts. The little girl felt his forhead like he had her's, then ran her thumb down the bridge of his nose before pulling her hand back. With a little smile, her returned her gesture. He tapped her chin, then smiled when she reached out to tap his. The two played this game for another few moments, echoing eachother's movements.  
  
It was encouraging. She could mimic, which was a very good sign, and meant she had the capability of short term memory, so no loss there.   
  
"_Konnen Sie sprechen_? (Can you speak?)" he whispered.   
  
No answer.  
  
He paused for a second, trying to think what could be wrong. Finally, an idea came. He tapped her chin, then his own, then opened his mouth wide. Perhaps there was something wrong with her tongue? Something wrong with her throat he could see? She opened her mouth, but as far as he could tell, everything looked normal. He stuck his tongue out and she stuck out her's. He licked his lips and she licked her's.   
  
"Well, you don't seem broken." he murmered, watching her yawn. He pulled her blanket a little tighter around her, then brushed her hair out of her face. "_Schlafzeit. Gute Nacht, kleines Madchen_. (Sleep time. Good night, little girl.)"  
  
The little girl yawned again, then turned to cuddle up towards Selene, closing her little eyes. Only seconds passed before she was back asleep again.   
  
Michael moved back to the door. It would be at least another five hours before Selene would wake up.  
  


* * *

Well, what did you think? Was it good? Bad? Tell me in a review!  
  
The Lady Mage 


	4. Chapter Four

Greetings from The Lady Mage.  
  
Welcome to chapter four. I hope you enjoy. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It took me a few tries to get it how I like it, but I feel now that it is just about perfect. Thanks to all the people who reviewed me. Love you all! Thanks to LadyK and VampyricAngel for their support and for listening to me and for proofreading for me some. Anyway, on to the chap!   
  
Read! Enjoy! REVIEW!

* * *

It was the sound of movement that awoke Selene that evening. It was a soft shuffling noise behind her near the door. She tightened her arms around the blankets cuddled to her- intent to go back to sleep for another half hour or so, then jerked up when she realised they were empty. Her eyes immediatly turned to the door.  
  
Michael sat with his back against it, legs laid out parted before him. Standing between his legs was the little girl. He was holding her up, and her knees were wobbling like she wasn't sure just how to use her legs. Her little fingers dug into the skin of his arms as she held on, trying to stay upright. He'd given her his shirt to cover the tattered sundress they had found her in and keep her warm.  
  
"When did she wake up?" Selene asked, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. "She must be freezing, Michael, without her blanket."  
  
"She's okay." Michael said softly, turning his head to see her. "We're right by the heater. I'm sweating. If she isn't warm enough, she never will be."  
  
The little girl grunted softly, finally locking her knees. Tentatively, she loosened her grip on Michael's arm. He lowered his hands down to hover on either side of her little waist, letting her stand on her own.  
  
"How old do you think she is?" asked Selene, walking to crouch beside them.  
  
"Maybe three." he answered. "But not by much."  
  
The little girl turned her head to see Selene, her bi-coloured eyes twinkling as she smiled. Her smile quickly left as she lost her concentration and began to fall. Michael's hands tightened on her waist, holding her up. She resumed her tight grip on his forearms.  
  
"Can she speak?" Selene asked.  
  
"She hasn't spoken yet." answered the hybrid, pulling the girl up to sit in his lap. "I've spoken to her in English, Hungarian, and sketchy German. She doesn't seem to respond to any. I looked at her throat, doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her."  
  
"Maybe she just hasn't spoken yet?" Selene asked, watching Michael lightly tickle the little girl's feet. She pulled them back to her stomach with a small giggle sound, rolling out of Michael's lap and into Selene's to get away.  
  
"Maybe." Michael said, holding his hands out like he might tickle the child again. She clutched Selene about the waist, pulling her feet back away from him with a pout and light whimper. The game was over for now. Michael retreated. "But that is unusual. Children speak around age one. She's got two years on them."  
  
"Maybe she just doesn't understand." said Selene, running her hand over the child's hair.  
  
"I don't know." Michael murmered. "Anyway, you're up. I'm going to go grab something to eat. No doubt she's hungry, and so are we. I'm going to go hunt. Anything you especially want?"  
  
"You are going nowhere. I'm going." Selene said, holding the little girl out to Michael.  
  
The hybrid reached for the child, but she whimpered, squirming in Selene's hands to get away from him. When he took her, she reached out for Selene again, her eyes wet and lips pouted. When Selene didn't reach to take her back, the child began to cry. Before she could really sob, the vampiress pulled her away from Michael like he had hurt her.  
  
"Guess she doesn't like tickling." Michael observed, watching Selene soothe the girl.  
  
"Well, who would?" Selene snapped, grabbing the blankets from the bed to rewrap the girl. Rebundled, the girl was placed back into Michael's lap- with the same results.  
  
The child cried and squirmed, trying to get back to Selene. After a few seconds of watching her, the vampiress lifted her back into her arms.   
  
Michael looked smug. "Guess you get to stay here with her since she likes you so very much more than me." He hopped up and grabbed his wallet from his bag. "I won't be gone long." And he escaped before Selene could stop him.

* * *

Selene scowled lightly to herself, perched in the middle of the bed. The toddler was lightly dozing, sitting stomach to stomach in her lap with her little arms wrapped around Selene's neck. Michael had been gone for nearly an hour. The jerk.  
  
"Mm!" The vampiress looked down at the little girl in her lap. Two mismatched eyes stared intently up at her. The girl frowned, turning her head to see the door. "Mm!"  
  
"What's the matter?" asked Selene, loosening her arms around the tot.  
  
"Mm!" The girl grunted, looking up at Selene, then back to the door again. "Mm!"  
  
It was then that Selene heard it, the soft patter of Michael carefully maneuvering around the first floor of the house, the soft squeaks as he climbed the old staircase. She turned her attention back to the toddler in her lap. "You heard Michael. Is that it?"  
  
"Mm!"  
  
The bedroom door was gently pushed open, and Michael appeared with two fast food bags, two bottles of water, and a glass jar of blood. He smiled when he entered, pushing the door shut behind him with his foot. "You guys hungry?"  
  
The toddler gave him a curious look. Selene gave him a tired glare.  
  
Michael handed Selene the jar of blood and the smaller bag. "I couldn't find anything but hamburgers- weird, German style hamburgers." He said, taking his seat back in front of the door. He pulled three large wrapped hamburgers from his bag. He unwrapped one and eyed it. "You think this is cow?"  
  
"What does it matter? It isn't as though you can die of food poisoning." Selene hissed quietly, settling her blood next to her so she could unwrap a hamburger for the little girl. "Here." she murmered, putting the girl's hands around the wrapper. "Eat this."  
  
"Mm?" the little girl scowled lightly, watching Selene sip the plasma from her jar.   
  
Michael looked up from his second burger. "Kid?" The toddler looked at him. "You eat it. Food. Hungry." He took a bite of his own, then pushed her hands to bring her own food to her lips. She turned her face away. "You have to be hungry, kid. Who knows how long its been since you've eaten?"  
  
Still, the tot kept her face turned. "Nn!"   
  
"Oh, for the love of . . Give me that!" Selene knocked Michael's hands away, and took the hamburger from the child. She tore off a little hunk and held it to the girl's lips. As if she was waiting for it, the tot took the bite, chewing it and swallowing quickly, then turning back to Selene like a hungry chick. "Do you not know how to eat, either?"   
  
"Mm." murmered the child, opening her mouth again when Selene offered her another bite. It took only a few moments for half of the hamburger to dissappear before the child seemed full, refusing any more.  
  
"Save that then." said the hybrid, "She'll be hungry again later."  
  
Selene nodded, putting the last in the bag before taking up her jar to finish her own meal while the little girl managed to nurse a bottle of water when Michael held it for her.  
  
"Mm." The water bottle was pushed away, and the child turned around to face Selene again, hugging her arms around the vampiress's stomach, and resting her head on her chest.   
  
Michael watched Selene's free arm snake around the toddler, pulling her closer. The little girl cuddled up, closing her eyes to sleep. Selene settled her empty jar down on the sidetable still left by the bed, then put her other arm around the child. From his angle, they looked so similar- same hair, same skin- like a mother and her daughter. He hid the smile that would have come to his face as he thought, _'Perhaps she would be a great mother...?_'  
  
"It's getting early." Selene said, snapping the hybrid from his thoughts. "We should rest. We'll move on tomorrow." She pulled the blankets around the child, pausing to smoothe the stray hair's from the tot's sleeping face.   
  
"You want me to keep watch first?" he asked, trying to hide a yawn.  
  
"This place is secluded." Selene said casually, laying down in the middle of the bed, holding the little girl to her.   
  
Michael couldn't hide his smile. He knew an invite when he heard one. Slowly, so not to seem eager, he stood up, brushed off his pants, and made sure the door was shut tight before He crawled over Selene and thei- the kid, settling behind her under the blanket. With her tucked against him, he listened to her fall asleep, before following her example, and dozing himself.

* * *

When Selene awoke around noon, sandwhiched between two very warm bodies, she tried hard to feel annoyed at her situation, but her bedpartners were making it very hard. It was nice to be so warm when she hadn't been warm in years. Though she would loathe to admit it, it was comforting to have Michael's arm laid over her waist. It was soothing to have this tiny toddler cuddled up to her chest. It was a very pleasant feeling to feel needed again.  
  
The child. This innocent little girl wrapped so securely in her arms reminded her so much of her nieces. When they had been....alive....they had relied on her for everything. Her sister had been their mother, yes, but Selene was their Mommy. When they would wake up to nightmares, they ran to her, not their real mother. When they were hurt, they came to Selene for kisses and comfort. When they achieved some great acomplishment, it was to Selene they ran to share their joy. They needed her, and she had needed them just as much.  
  
But then...  
  
Viktor.  
  
She couldn't stop the tears from coming, but she tried her hardest to keep them from falling. It had been months and months since she had...killed...Viktor, killed her beloved Dark Father, and as much as she hated him, a part of her still loved him. Yes, he'd killed her family, but he'd taken her under his wing- gave her everything she ever needed or wanted. But, yes, he had taken her under his wing- gave her everything she ever needed or wanted- but he killed her family first!  
  
It was a double-edged sword, and she was perched on the blade.   
  
The little girl stirred in her arms, breaking her from her thoughts. "Mm?" Eyes, mismatched and half-lidded, looked up into Selene's brown orbs. A little hand reached up to cup a pale cheek, gently spreading wetness from tears that had fallen. "Mm." The tot's eyes began to well up, too, as she snuggled closer to Selene.   
  
Selene pulled her closer. "Shhh. It's okay." she whispered, tucking the girl's head beneath her chin. "No tears." She prayed Michael wouldn't wake. "Go back to sleep."  
  
After a few minutes passed, the tot's breathing evened out, and her body stilled, as she fell back asleep. Selene reached up to wipe her tears away, then settled back against Michael, closing her eyes. She needed rest to move again tonight.

* * *

Behind her, Michael peeked out from under one eyelid. '_...Selene..._'

* * *

Well, what do you think? Good? Bad? Tell me in a review!  
  
The Lady Mage


End file.
